Free summer meals are available to all children and teenagers 18 years of age or younger who visit an approved open site or are enrolled in an eligible closed site.
USDA defines many other site types, including camps, migrant sites, and more. In addition to kids and teens, people over the age of 18 with disabilities can also participate and receive meals.
Most summer meals sponsors are approved to receive reimbursement for up to two meals per day. Eligible meals are breakfast, lunch, snack (morning and/or evening), and supper. The only combination not eligible for reimbursement is lunch and supper. If your site primarily serves migrant children, or if you run a residential or day camp, you may be eligible to serve up to three reimbursable meals each day.
A sponsor may prepare its own meals, purchase meals through an agreement with an area school, or contract meals with a food vendor. Sites can also prepare their own meals on-site or transport them from another location.
Meals self-prepared by the sponsor or site receive a slightly higher reimbursement rate. However, many sponsors lack the kitchen facilities to prepare meals themselves. In this case, vendors like schools, local hospitals, or other public or private food vendors can provide pre-prepared meals to your program.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, meals were served and eaten by participating children on site. This is known as the congregate feeding requirement. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, waivers and program flexibilities allowed non-congregate or “grab & go” style meal service where children could take their meals home or to another location to eat, meals could be delivered to the household, and parents could pick up meals on behalf of children and young people in their household. Non-congregate meal service was a success, and the number of meals served doubled. While the COVID-19 pandemic era waivers and flexibilities have expired, permanent program changes now allow for non-congregate (including “grab & go” style programs and home delivery) in rural communities without access to a congregate meal site.
For a side-by-side comparison of “standard” vs. “wavier” program regulations, check out No Kid Hungry’s SFSP & SSO Program Requirements – Comparison Chart Of Usual Vs. COVID-19 Waiver Operations.
For more information, resources, and tools to help you plan your non-congregate summer meal program, check out No Kid Hungry’s Implementation Strategies webpage.
For many children and teens, summertime means food, friends and fun. For families who count on school breakfast and lunch, however, the summer months can be stressful as family food budgets are stretched even further.
The summer meals program has a lot of opportunity to grow:
Of the more than 18 million students who ate free or reduced-price school lunches in 2020-2021, only 5.6 million were served summer meals in 2021. That means 7 out of 10 young people were missing out.
Only 40% of families report being aware of locations where summer meals are served. However, when surveyed, 68% say they are interested in the program.
Of those families that have participated in summer meals, 90% say they would recommend the summer meals site to others and are interested in continued participation.
Studies show that kids are at a higher risk for both hunger and obesity during the summer months.
